A bright future

All things considered, life has been pretty good.  From as early as I can remember, thinking about how to make the world a better place was as much a part of life as eating and sleeping.  As a child, I would hear my dad, uncles, cousins and brothers talk about ideas that would change everything.  It seemed like a male dominated sport that sparked no interest from the women in the family.  They would discuss better ways to burn fuel, create energy and make things more efficient.  Many of their suggestions would eventually be implemented into common practice but always by somebody else with the means to make it happen.

It was an optimistic and idealistic discussion with a mechanical and engineering twist.  That way of thinking has done well for me even decades later.  Trying new ideas is how progress is made.  It's how we move forward and it offers an optimism to look ahead with hope and even certainty that the world is evolving into something better.

If my body were a mechanical device, one would say it broke down and was unrepairable.  Some very smart people invented new ways to fix it and it's working.  Just as a group of people are sitting around a kitchen table, with ideas about how to improve the mechanical world, a group of doctors are also sitting in labs and working on new ideas to wipe out cancer.  As long as those men and women keep it up, the future couldn't be brighter.

As for me, the latest blood test results show the liver is improving and almost normal.  The muscle pain is at a peek but I think it will subside now that the liver is functioning again.

Acidosis

It's been a while since leaving a post.  Gearing up for the large group music festival, working with clinicians and absent students has taken up too much time.  The end of the year is always the busiest with concerts, festivals and grades.  It doesn't help that some seniors think they should check out of all responsibility months before school is over.  

All health issues are on track.  The cancer is undetectable.  GVHD is making an appearance wherever it can.  The latest is lactic acidosis caused by a somewhat failing liver.  If I ignore the symptoms, I'm hoping the disease will get frustrated and just go away.  It's like a battle of stubborn will.  The disease is persistent but so am I. 

So many teachers who retire focus on justifying their retirement.  I think that means they are not quite sure about leaving their work of a lifetime.  There is plenty of justification in Alaska right now.  The economy is bad and getting worse.  Funding for education is getting cut primarily due to poor oil prices and production.  Even if things were booming, I don't plan to look back.  It's time to shift gears and work on something else.  I'll miss the students but not the stress and the worry and focus on the job at all hours.  My next job will end at the end of the work day.

Spring results

The snow is going away!  Spring has finally arrived to South Central Alaska.  Spring concerts are in the works and my latest blood test results are in.  

Cancer is an evil.  Like war, it kills innocent people, including children without remorse and without purpose other than causing pain.  Whenever I have a minor victory over cancer, I'm emboldened with bravado.  I feel stronger and more confident.  The latest test results show no detectable cancer in my blood.  Since Multiple Myeloma resides in the bone marrow which produces blood, the first place to look is the blood for signs that it may have returned.  At this point, there is no detectable cancer.  The war isn't over, but I'll accept a victory for every battle, one after another.

Band trip done!!

Another band trip down...Nobody got hurt and everyone had fun.  I always tell the students that I want to hear compliments from strangers regarding their over the top, polite behavior.  It happened over and over, ending with a flight attendant on the trip home.  She said, "Your students are so polite, and usually there is at least one exception but I couldn't even find one."

Today, I have to get a blood test to see if my liver is still exploding.  I'm back on immune suppressant drugs due to the earlier GVHD symptoms.